For Better or For Worse
by you're my Star
Summary: Their good manners are forced and their smiles arn't real. It has all become routine, he’s noticed. [postbreakup... DracoGinny, Oneshot]


**Disclaimer: **Me no own. You no sue. It's a simple concept.

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Draco leans heavily on the pillar behind him, it's the only thing supporting him. His own two feet can't manage the job. His left foot is propped up against the pillar, his knee out, and a lock of stray blonde hair obstructs his vision. He can't be bothered to move it though, because he's busy looking into her eyes. And she's busy looking into his, both trying to bore straight through to the others soul.

He's run into her by chance. _Again._ How many times can you run into someone and still call it an 'accident,' anyway?

She's noticed him, and she's walking toward him, noticeably stiff. The word mechanical comes to his mind, it fits her forced smile and short, even steps.

They've been sharing these post-breakup friendlily awkward moments for at least two months now, they're in between the bitter stage and the resigned acceptance stage. It's almost become a routine, he's noticed. And he never bothers to change the pattern, by approaching her, or breaking the heavy silences that follow the basic questions they ask each other.

"Hello." What a formal greeting, he would have figured they'd been beyond that ages ago. He nods his head coolly in acknowledgement of her existence. She extends a hand for him to shake. Funny. They're old greeting was a tad more intimate then a handshake.

He stares blankly at her hand, looking at the creases that cross her pale palms, the heel of her hand is callused, suggesting she's something other then the dainty Weasley girl she has a reputation for being. With an eyebrow arched, he looks at her hand as if he's just been offered an ice cream cone that someone picked up off the ground, deliberately annoying her. He may as well have some fun, as long as she is going to insist on being this proper (as usual).

She scowls, and turns her palm upward, shaking her hand back and forth in an attention-grabbing gesture, making the offer more obvious than it already was. All the while she looks at him like he is mentally incapacitated.

He smirks and he stares, trying his best to feign oblivion. This is the farthest he's ever strayed from there well-rehearsed pattern. It's much more fun bothering her rather than being polite to her.

Finally, realizing he's never going to shake her hand, she withdraws it, letting it rest awkwardly at her side. The look in her eyes when her gaze turns back to him is clearly telling him to talk.

He's to aggravated to talk though, her engagement ring has caught the light, for a mere second the glint blinds him much like a flash of lightening does, it's only a thin gold band with a small-diamond encrusted in its dull surface. He scowls down at it and wills it to shatter into a million pieces, it stares mockingly back at him, and as if to laugh in his face, it finds the light once more.

"That's costume jewelry." Draco scoffs irritably, he gestures to her ring and looks at it with pure disgust. Ginny glances down at it, clearly surprised that he's made such a statement. He tears his eyes away from the menacing piece of metal and watches her intently. The only times he can watch her are when she's looking elsewhere. Tilting the ring this way and that, she examines it. She looks hurt, and is biting her lip when she looks up at him again.

"It's beautiful, actually. Modest, not gawky." The reply is firm and defiant, however he sees her gulp down her sadness and insecurity, this action clearly defies her words.

"But." He says, then cuts himself off. _But had you been with me, you would have had the biggest diamond in all of England. _

"But…?" There is a certain tinge of hope in her voice.

_Potter has the money, he could have afforded to splurge a bit. Obviously you mean a whole bloody lot to him, if you're not even worth a proper ring. _"Nevermind." He shrugs one shoulder, brushing the stubborn lock of blonde hair out of his eye.

An awkward silence fills the air. Finally, they're getting back to their routine. It's easier to be around one another when they know what's coming, improv simply makes things more complicated. As _if _things between them aren't already riddled with enough complications.

"Draco." Ginny breaks the silence, and stares at the floor as she says his name. He used to love how she said his name, now her face contours in pain when the two syllables fall from her lips.

"Red?" An old nickname. Old nicknames were strictly forbidden. They brought back to many memories, memories were pain, and pain drove them back to each other. Which only continued the terrible cycle. Yet, he is powerless to stop the word from leaving his mouth.

"Why'd you ask Pansy…" Ginny digs her toe into the ground and stares determinedly at it. Clearing her throat she finishes, "To marry you?"

Finally, he finds the strength in him to stand on his own two feet, so he does just that, stretching his left leg, which is a bit frozen from being in the same position so long, and looks directly down at her.

"Same reason _Potter _asked you." There is venom in his words.

She looks up at him now, slitting her eyes, "'_Potter_,'" She says mimicking the tone Draco took on when he said his name, "asked me because he loved me."

Draco shakes his head, slowly and deliberately. A smirk captures his lips, but he tries to keep it hooded. His movements were so careful around her, one wrong move and she was gone. He was always calculating, but this went double when she was standing within a ten foot radius. "He asked you because it was safe."

Looking at him dryly, she asks, "Safe?"

"Because it was safe, and simple."

"He battles You-Know-Who, he has never once been on the safe side of things." She argues.

"Violence and love are two different things, darling. They're completely different kinds of safe." He says menacingly, smirking, she visibly winces as soon as the pet-name darling leaves his mouth.

"So." She begins, "You asked Pansy because you liked the simplicity?" There is a shadow of bewilderment illuminating her eyes.

"Basically." There he goes again, with the vague answers.

"Don't tell anyone I said what is about to leave my mouth," She orders with surprising a force, "but you were supposed to ask _me_… to marry you."

Ah. So they were finally at the explanation part of their post-breakup entanglement. "I'm dangerous. If you married me you'd move to the top of countless hit lists, _just _by association." He pauses for a breath, and then scowls. "Thing is though, I didn't expect you to run off and marry someone twice as dangerous as I am… Someone _I _personally wouldn't mind killing in a brutal fashion, no less."

"So you were keeping me safe?"

He looks almost ashamed as he looks past her shoulder, "I still am, Weasley." It's a mutter, he barely moves his lips when he says it under his breath. The string of words were not meant to reach her ears, but they do anyway.

And it makes her smile giddily.

"Maybe one day?" She can't bite back the hope in her tone.

The atmosphere shifts, and he's able to look at her again without guilt in his eyes. He smiles slightly at her excitedness.

"Slim chance. 'One day' I'll probably be dead."

She smiles wider, a childish ring to her voice. "Stop being so sadistic. I see the world in a darker light, just by having a bloody conversation with you."

"It's contagious." A full-on smile cracks through his lips.

"It's sick."

"It's an epidemic."

"It's hard being married to someone you don't love." Ginny blurts out, her words strung together in a flood of syllables.

"It's hard seeing someone you love with your enemies ring on their finger." Draco glares pointedly at the wedding ring. Looking up, he finds a certain boy with a lightening shaped scar is coming near. Draco nods in Harry's direction, "I'd kiss you, but Potter would have heart failure. Wouldn't want that, would we?"

Ginny just bit her lip and nodded to Draco, a gesture even less formal than their greeting had been. Quickly, she spun on her heel and went off to follow her husband. She knew what was right, and what was right wasn't Draco.

As quickly as the conversation had begun, it was over.

Draco stole one last glance of Ginny, filing it away in his mental cabinets. Seeing Ginny rush off to Potter was one of the most disturbing things he'd ever had the displeasure of viewing. Knowing she'd married The-Boy-Who-Lived, he knew he'd tried to keep her safe for nothing.

Within another fifteen minutes they'd both left the social gathering, gone off to their own homes to be with the ones they'd sworn themselves to for better or for worse.

Draco with Pansy and Ginny with Harry; but they didn't forget each other.

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**A/N: **Viola. Not very happy with the finished product. I forced myself to write this, as I'm trying to get out of the angst territory, (and I'm taking baby steps to do so). Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to write something that is utter fluff. Take a second to review, if you might be so kind. Thanks.


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